RickkciR

Some friendships are measured in years. Ours was measured in miles. Over the last twenty years, Larry and I shared a lot of road together. Long highways, twisting mountain roads, and the occasional questionable detour that usually started with Larry saying something like, “Oh hell no… we’re not going back that way.” That was Larry. Direct. Honest. No nonsense. And if you knew him, you probably knew exactly what I mean. Larry Kea was born on September 29, 1956, in Greenville, Texas, to Harold Bennie Kea and Ruth LaVerne Banks. He grew up in a family that instilled in him a strong sense of loyalty and duty — qualities that would define him throughout his life. As a young man, Larry proudly served his country in the United States Army. He joined as the Vietnam War was coming to a close, stepping forward to serve during a time when many young men were being called to do the same. Somehow, Larry managed to land what many of us would call the dream duty station: Hawaii. Knowing Larry, I’m su...

  Yes .. it's this beautiful Wow… That Was a Good One (Secrets Huatulco Edition) 🌴🍹 Confession: I had never even heard of Huatulco until last year when we joined UVC. It was filed in my brain under: “Lower-tier 1:1 resorts… same bucket as Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta.” Translation? In my head it was a value play. Then Brad and Jennifer (friends we met in Cozumel) casually mention they flew DFW direct and loved it. Direct flight? Positive review? Small, quiet town? Now you’ve got my attention. The Internet Tried to Scare Me Off Before booking, I did what everyone does: I read the reviews. And the internet had thoughts : “Older resort.” (Built in 2011, which apparently now qualifies as ancient ruins.) “Dated.” “Too quiet.” “Swimming questionable — red flags and riptides.” “Small downtown.” “Not Cancun energy.” And somehow… that made me more curious. Quiet? Smaller crowds? Less chaos? You’re describing a feature, not a bug. The Seasonal Plot ...

  🔴 Major Violence After CJNG Leader (‘El Mencho’) Was Killed Multiple official or widely cited reports show that the death of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes , leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has triggered violence, unrest, and loss of life across several regions: 📍 Affected States (violence, road blockades, fatalities, emergency alerts): Jalisco – The operation that killed ‘El Mencho’ occurred in Tapalpa, Jalisco . Violence has spread with roadblocks, vehicle fires, and armed clashes. – Authorities activated a “Code Red” security alert in Jalisco and suspended key public activities. – At least one member of the National Guard and other security personnel were reportedly killed or injured. Guadalajara (Jalisco) – Scenes of unrest, panic among civilians, transportation disruption, and reported casualties in the state capital. Tamaulipas – Included in a U.S. State Department shelter-in-place warning due to cartel retaliation and violen...

LMFAO — The Sky Is Not Falling 🇲🇽😂 If you scroll through some of the travel Facebook groups right now, you’d think Mexico just slid into the ocean. One incident. One headline. And suddenly it’s DEFCON 1: Cancun Edition. “Cancel everything!” “Sell the timeshare!” “Mexico is burning to the ground!” LMFAO. A Little Perspective (From People Who’ve Seen Some Stuff) We spent three years in Panama when things were actually… spicy. Real spicy. We drove through checkpoints where Panamanians were stopping vehicles with automatic weapons. Not mall cop energy. Real-deal hardware. We had serious incidents involving military folks and their spouses — most of which never made it anywhere near the news cycle. Lucy navigated around protests with burning cars for months. Literal flames. Traffic detours courtesy of Molotov cocktails. And we wrapped the whole experience up with Operation Just Cause. Things escalated. We handled it. We moved on. So forgive us if we don’t clutch our pe...